Current iPad Inventory Supply to Retailers “Constrained”

Following up on an AppleInsider report last Friday claiming that this week’s new iPad may available right away, a new report finds that supplies of the current iPad are extremely limited at the moment. One and one equals… two?

9to5Mac is reporting that Apple has wound down production of the original iPad, presumably leading up to Wednesday’s announcement of a follow-up model which could be available by week’s end.

“It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, but Apple has stopped production of the original iPads and cut of supplies to the channel,” 9to5Mac reported on Monday. “We are getting reports that global retailers are no longer able to get their hands on iPads. We’ve been told that this indicates Apple have halted production of 1st gen iPads and ceased shipments.”

MB292LL/A – iPad 16GB WiFi – Constrained – No ETA

MB293LL/A – iPad 32GB WiFi – Constrained – No ETA

MB294LL/A – iPad 64GB WiFi – Constrained – No ETA

MC349LL/A – iPad 16GB 3G – Constrained – No ETA

MC496LL/A – iPad 32GB 3G – Constrained – No ETA

MC497LL/A – iPad 64GB 3G – Constrained – No ETA

Apparently, all six configurations of the current iPad appear in retail systems as “constrained” with “no ETA” for replenishment -- which is historically a good sign that a replacement is imminent.

9to5Mac’s retail sources have indicated that their only remaining stock is what’s already on the shelves, meaning they’ll likely sell out by today -- just hours before the 10am PST media event in San Francisco where the iPad sequel is expected to make its debut.